Golf club



Feb. 9, 1932. s. T PE 1,844,812

LLLLLL UB lq A ZI M40 I l btomwqs Patented F eb. 9, 1932 an STATES PATENT OFFICE 'SAMUEL T. THONPE, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, `AssIerNon To TI-IE IronToN MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, 'or BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION or CONNECTICUT GOLF Application filed May 25,

This invention relates to improvements in I golf clubs and particularly to a novel arrangement of securing the golf club shaft in the head, especially where the club has al metallic so to speak, by the shaft when the latter is inserted in the club head.

More particularly, the invention contemplates a club head having a socket therein for the reception of the adapter and club shaft, the wall of said socket being recessed to receive projections formed on the j adapter. The portion of the adapter carrying these projections is resilient and expansible. It may be contracted sufficiently to permit its inser tion in the socket to a point where its projections will coincide with the recessed portion of the socket wall but when the shaft is inserted in place in the club head it will expand the adapter and force the projections on the latter into the recessed portion of the socket. When thus attached, it is impossible for the `adapter to work loose from the socketed portion of the head.

IVith these and other Objects in view, the inventionconsists in certain details of construc- V .tion and combinations and arrangements of parts as `will hereinafter be more fully de- -I scribed and the novel features thereof particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is an elevational view of a golf club, a portion of the shaft being omitted;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the club assembled;

Fig. 3 is a similar view but with the several `elements in the club disassembled, and

Fig. 4L is a detail view of the adapter.

CLUB

1931. serial Nb. 539,864.

In the present instance there is shown a metallic club head 10, having a projecting portion, commonly termed the hosel. This hosel portion has a socket `12 therein, said j socket being counterbored, at 12a, to form a shoulder 13 on which the inner end of the adapter 14 seats. A short distance above the shoulder 18 the wall of socket 12 is formed with a recess preferably extending around the entirewall to form the annular indentation`,`or recess 15. i v

` Theadapter lll is of suitable metal and its end,portion which entersthe hosel is cut Vaway to form a longitudinally extending slot 16 emerginginto a circumferential slot 17. Preferably, the adapter is slotted in this fashion at two vdiametrically opposite points. By being thus slotted the end of the adapter may be contracted orexpanded somewhat' and j formed on this eXpansible portion are one or more projections 18 adapted to register with theannular recess `15 in the socketwall.` On its exterior surface, above its slotted portion, the adapter 14 is provided withknurled surfaces 19 for firmly retaining thereon a! celluloid sleeve'20, which is utilized to impart a better appearance to the finished club, as otherwisethere wouldbe a projection formed in the upper end of the hosel when the sleeve and shaft are in place whereas the Celluloid sleeve 20 can be tapered upwardly so as to emerge gradually into the line of the exterior surface of the shaft 21. It might be added that the Celluloid .sleeve is shrunk on the adapter 19 and `by having the knurled surfaces on the adapter, indentations are formed into `which portions of the Celluloid sleeve are forced so as to securely retain it on the adapter. j

In assembling theseveral structural elements, the adapter 14 with the Celluloid sleeve 2O` thereon is inserted in the bore of the hosel by slightly contracting its `slotted end portion. The projections 18 move intoregistry with the annular recess l5 and the shaft 21 is then inserted. `Before inserting the shaft a on the shaft, the shaft being of tapered fori mation. At the same time the ring member Will have been forced against the upper end of the adapter 14 and the adapter 14 will be positioned against shoulder 13 in the hosel socket. The insertion of the shaft 21 into the club head expands the slotted end of the adapter and forces the projections 18 into the recess 15 and said projections cannot become disengaged from said recess because the presence of the shaft within the, adapter maintains the slotted end portion expanded, To prevent Withdrawal of the shaft, or to securely attach it Within the socket, it is pro,- vided With the usual rivet 23 extending through the hosel and the inner end portion of the shaft 21. With this arrangement, it Will be seen that it is absolutely impossible for the shaft 21 to be displaced because of the rivet 23 and, it being impossible for the shaft to be removed, it is also impossible for the adapter to be accidentally displaced because the presence of the shaft prevents the contraction of the slotted portion of the adapter as is necessary to release the projections 1 8 from the recess 15. These projections 18 and recess 15 may be broadly described as consti-A tuting interlocking elements carried by vthe adapter and club headand, While it is not necessary that these elements be formed exactly as shown, it is pr,eferredlthat the projections V18 be provided on the adapterland the recess Vbe provided in the hosel.

What Iclaim is:

1. A golf club ycomprisingzg a head having a socket therein, an adapter extending into said socket, a shaft projecting into said adapter and socket, and interlocking elements formed `on-said..adapter and socket, said elements being held in interlocking engagement by the shaft. A

2. A golfclub 'comprising .a head having la socket therein, sleevelike, radially expansible adapter extending vinto the socket, interlocking elements formed on Said adapter and the Wall `of the socket, and al shaft ex'- tending into ,said adapter and .socket and radially expanding the adapter to lock said interlocking elements in engagement with each other. Y e

3. A golf club .comprising a head having a socket therein With a recess in the Wall .of said socket, a sleeve'like adapter, .a projection on said adapter adapted to enter said recess, and a shaft extending into the adapter and socket and locking said projection in said recess.

4. A ,golf club comprising a head having a socket therein and an annular recess in the Wall of said socket, anadapter extending into said socket, a plurality .ofprojections on said adapter engageable in said recess, and a shaft lextending into said adapter and socket, said shaft forcing Vsaid projectionsinte said recess.

5. A golfclub .comprising a jhead having a VSAMUEL T. THORPE. 

